


Mixed Signals

by The_Fox_Flame



Series: Umbra [1]
Category: Starfighter (Comic)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Original Character-centric, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-02 12:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4059286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fox_Flame/pseuds/The_Fox_Flame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nova is an Alliance fighter, assigned to the navigator Nebula. The two are on the ship Parallax, headed for a remote part of deep space to discover the source of an unknown and troubling signal. Nova is concerned only with herself and impressing the rest of the ship's crew, but Nebula wants nothing more than even a moment of Nova's attention. Alongside the cast of the Starfighter comic and Starfighter: Eclipse, Nova and Nebula trek into deep space with their own personal missions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Ship Named Parallax

Nova, with her bag slung over her shoulder, walked up the ramp of the Parallax. Her heavy footsteps on the metal rang out, but were quickly muffled by the sounds of the other fighters and navigators boarding the ship. Once she was on board, she headed for the med bay. She'd gotten a message to do so as soon as she could. Something about a certain vaccination she would need or something. The Med Bay was nearly empty. Nova tapped the shoulder of one of the medical officers. He was only an inch or two taller than her -which was common, given her height- and his white hair was pulled back into a tight bun.  
"Can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"I was told I need to come down here once I got on board," Nova answered.  
"You from one of the colonies?"  
"I- uh. Yes."  
"That explains it. They want everyone from the colonies to get extra vaccinations. Something's been going around, apparently, and they don't want it spreading on the ship."  
"Right. Well, can we just get this over with? I've got shit to do."  
"Patience is a virtue, ma'am. What's your task name?" he asked, pulling out his data pad and tapping it a few times.  
"Nova."  
"Ah, yes. Your navigator was just in here earlier. She's from the same colony as you. Small world, huh?"  
"Sure, I guess."  
"Alright, well, we've got to give you three different vaccinations. Could you roll up your sleeves for me? Thanks. The first one should just be a slight pinch... Wasn't bad, was it? The second one is gonna be a little worse."  
"OW!"  
"I warned you. Now the third one is gonna be a bitch. Yes, it's a long needle. Sorry about this."  
"Oh, FUCK!"  
"Damn. For a fighter, you've got a low pain tolerance. Go sit on one of the cots over there for a few minutes. We need to make sure you don't have any kind of reaction."  
Rubbing her arm, Nova did as she was told and sat on one of the cots. She pulled out her data pad and read through some new messages, the usual "Welcome aboard!" bullshit from each of the officials. The sound of nearby footsteps prompted her to look up; someone was certainly walking with a purpose. A man with shoulder-length hair that faded in color from the roots to the tips made his way across the room rather quickly. He looked determined as he pulled one of the MOs aside and began showing him something on his data pad. The two whispered to each other, and Nova's curiosity was piqued. The man was wearing a navigator's uniform; what the hell could he possibly talking to the MO about so seriously? Was something wrong with him? Or with someone else? The MO must have seen her watching them out of the corner of his eye, because he told her that she was free to go. Neither of them spoke again until Nova had left the room.  
The moment bothered Nova just a moment longer, but dropped from the forefront of her mind as she checked her data pad again to see where her bunk was. The MO had said her navigator was already on the ship, so maybe she would already be here. Nova hoped not. A little alone time to nap sounded like Heaven. She opened the door to find a girl unpacking a bag and placing everything in it on the bottom bunk. Nova's happy thoughts of sleep whistled away for the time being. The girl looked up. Her eyes, hazel, lit up when she saw Nova.  
"You must be my fighter! I'm Nebula!"  
"Nova."  
"Isn't this exciting? Deep space! An unknown signal! I wonder what we're going to find!"  
The thought crossed Nova's mind that this girl was far too peppy. She said, "I'm just here to do my job."  
"Right, yeah, of course! I mean, our jobs are so exciting!"  
Nova gave Nebula a look that said "Really?" and stepped further into the room.  
"We should probably do some training later. Some sims or something. We've got a lot of work to do before we get out there!"  
"I'm guessing I get the top bunk."  
"Oh! Well. I mean. I can take the top bunk if you want. It's fine! But maybe we can work in some training before dinner?"  
"Look. Fibula."  
"Nebula."  
"Nebula. I don't give a shit about you or training or anyone on this fucking ship. I'm here to be a fighter, you're here to be my navigator, and that's it. I'm not going to be your friend. I'm not going to be anyone's friend. I am your boss, not your buddy. Do you understand me?"  
"I... No. No, we're a team. We can't work together if we don't train together. We could put our mission in jeopardy if we can't work together."  
"Tough shit. Just do as I say, stay out of my way, and we'll be perfectly fine."  
"Nova, I--"  
"And another rule: don't talk to me unless absolutely necessary."  
"But--"  
"What did I just say?"  
Nebula opened her mouth to say something, but turned back to her unpacking instead. She stayed silent, even taking care to zip her bag as quietly as possible when she was done taking out her things. Nova tossed her bag onto one of the dressers in the room and climbed up onto the top bunk, taking care to duck and avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. She collapsed on the bed and yawned, stretching out. She closed her eyes and tried to take a nap. Nebula was being quiet enough, after all. Just as she started to drift off, she heard a knock at the door.  
"Jesus... Nebula, would you get that?"  
"Yeah, sure," Nebula replied quietly. She opened the door. Nova opened one eye and saw the same man she'd seen in the med bay earlier. She sat up quickly and her head collided with the ceiling.  
"Oh, shit!" she hissed, bringing her hand up to her head. She shut her eyes and saw stars.  
"Are you alright?" Nebula and the man at the door asked at the same time.  
"I'm fine. The fuck do you want, dude?"  
"My fighter and I are about to grab some lunch. We were wondering if maybe you wanted to join us, being the newest team to the crew," he said, frowning a little.  
"I'd love to join you!" Nebula said.  
"What about you, fighter?"  
Nova's curiosity from earlier returned and she figured lunch might be a good way to find out what this navigator was doing earlier. "Sure," she answered. "And it's Nova."  
"Nova. And what's your name?" he asked, turning to Nova's navigator.  
"I'm Nebula."  
"Nice to meet you, Nebula. I'm Selene. Let's get going. Helios, my fighter, said he'd meet us in the mess hall."  
Nova jumped down from her bunk and followed after Selene and Nebula. She shoved her hands in her pockets and listened to the two talk about Selene's past missions with Helios. The two hadn't been working together long, but the way that Selene talked about his fighter made it sound like they'd known each other for years. He spoke with utter reverence for Helios. Nova felt a pang in her chest, thinking that she wanted someone to talk about her that way. She glanced around as if to make sure nobody had read her mind, and added on to her thoughts that she wanted to be revered as a hero, not as a friend -or, by the sound of it, lover. Selene lead them through the lines in the mess hall and to the table Helios was sitting at. Nova looked at the pair; at first glance, they certainly didn't look like they would get along as well as they seemed to. Nova sat down opposite Selene and Nebula sat beside her. Nova put her arms on the table on either side of her tray, taking up as much space as she could. Nebula scooted away a little.  
"So, welcome to the Parallax!" Selene said.  
"I'm sure they've heard that plenty of times today, Selene," Helios said.  
"Still. It's nice to say it, too."  
"If you say so, baby." Helios gave Selene a kiss on the cheek. When his lips left, red rose up to fill where they had been.  
"Helios!..." Selene said, covering his blush with his hands.  
"You guys are so adorable together!" Nebula squealed.  
"Thank you," Selene said, still covering his cheeks. Nebula giggled.  
"So, you're Nova, right?" Helios asked.  
"The one and only."  
"You know, I've actually heard about you."  
Nova perked up. "You have?"  
"Yeah. By the sound of things, you're a bit of a troublemaker."  
"Oh. I guess."  
"We've already got enough troublemakers around here, though. I'd appreciate it if you could maybe not start too much shit." Helios laughed.  
"What do you mean?" Nebula asked. "Who are the troublemakers?"  
"Oh, you'll meet them soon enough, especially if you happen to meet Abel."  
"Wait, Abel? THE Abel?"  
"Word travels fast in the Alliance, doesn't it? Yes, Nebula. Abel's on the Parallax."  
"That is SO COOL! I have to meet him!"  
"Well, I hope you're ready to meet his fighter, too. Guy's a major asshole," Selene said.  
"That's not what you said last time he was in our bed," Helios said. Selene blushed again.  
"Helios! Cut it out already!"  
"Wait, so Cain and Abel are really on the Parallax?" Nova asked. Helios sighed and nodded.  
"Along with Cain's little rat, Deimos. Wherever you find one of them, you find the other two," Helios said.  
"Hey, have you two gotten a chance to do any training yet?" Selene asked, obviously trying to change the subject.  
Nova rolled her eyes and Nebula looked down at her tray. Selene and Helios exchanged a look.  
"Well, I suggest you get some done soon. The more prepared you are to work together as a team, the better off you'll be," Selene said. "I've got to get going. Abel wanted me to go over some data with him."  
"I'll come with you," Helios said. The two of them said good-bye to Nova and Nebula and made their way out of the mess hall. Nova continued eating in silence. Nebula moved the food around on her tray before finally standing.  
"You know, you don't have to like me. You just have to be able to work with me. I'm going down to the sims if you want to grow up and get some training done," she said.  
Nova listened to her walk away and sighed. "Fucking great."


	2. Like a Willow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova has revealed her arrogance, selfishness, and apathy to her navigator, Nebula, and they've only known each other a few short hours. Despite this, Nebula is determined to get on Nova's good side and become a better team. The Parallax heads deeper into space, growing closer and closer to the signal they were sent to trace with each passing day.

Nova looked down at her tray and mentally kicked herself. Not only did she miss her chance to ask Selene what he had been up to in the med bay, but she'd managed to piss everyone off. Not that she particularly cared about pissing people off, but Selene and Helios were definitely people to get close to if she wanted any chance at getting closer to Abel and, therefore, network her way to a higher rank. She debated a moment before deciding that maybe training with Nebula wouldn't be so bad right now; it would be a good way to work out her frustration, shooting imaginary people and aliens in a sim. Hell, maybe she could piss off Nebula a little more and get the kid riled up.

Come to think of it, she didn't know how old Nebula was. She'd never read through her file on her data pad, though she supposed she should have, if only to figure out how much she could get away with in terms of fucking with her newest navigator. Nebula wasn't her first, and she was sure she wouldn't be her last. Nova dumped her tray and put it in the pile with the rest before making her way down to the sims. Luckily, Nebula hadn't been there long and was still getting the system set up.

"Hey, Nebula, let's do some avoidance runs," Nova called from across the room.

Nebula looked up, frowned, and said, "I already have some attack sims worked up."

"Tough shit. Change 'em."

Nebula hesitated a moment then said, "No."

"Excuse me?"

"I already set this up. We can do your runs another time."

"Fine. Whatever." Nova stomped past Nebula and into the cockpit of the sim. Nova took a deep breath and immediately regretted it; the damn thing smelled like sex.

"What's that smell?" Nebula wondered aloud as she sat down in front of Nova.

"Is that a serious question?"

"...yes?"

"Oh, kid. You've got so much to learn."

The sim began: the screen in front of them faded to black and tiny stars appeared in the "distance." Nova tightened her grip on the controls and her lips pulled into a grin. She'd never been good at much back in the colonies except crime. Her record had been far too long, but at some point, she'd been approached by some high-ranking Alliance official. He told her she could easily turn her aggression and desperation into something useful. She'd been young. She'd been stupid. She jumped at the chance. And she was good at it. She was _damn_ good at it. Fighting was her talent. She wasn't the best in the Alliance, but she was definitely up there. There had been eyes on her since she enlisted, and she knew it. Those wolves, watching in the shadows, waiting to pounce on any chance to have her fight for them, were her ticket up. The higher she got in rank, the better off she'd be once she left the Alliance. She never wanted to be left on the streets to steal her next meal again.

"Entering Colteron space," the voice in the simulation alerted them.

"Ready, Nova?" Nebula asked.

"Born ready," Nova said.

"On your twelve."

"Got him."

The ship on the screen burst, pieces of virtual metal scattering in the void.

"Two at your six, one at your three."

"Shit, Nebula. I'm not close enough. Get me in there."

"Understood."

"TOO CLOSE NEBULA WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING GET US _OUT_!"

"I- I can't! Something's wrong!"

"What do you mean something's wrong?!"

"I don't know!"

"DAMMIT, NEBULA! YOU'VE GOT TEN SECONDS UNTIL WE'RE SPACE DUST!"

"TAKE YOUR SHOT NOVA!"

"WE'RE TOO CLOSE! THE DEBRIS WILL HIT US!"

"JUST DO IT!"

Nova pressed the buttons under her thumbs and watched each shot speed towards the enemy ship. Enough of them hit their target and the ship blew.

"NEBULA, IF YOU WANT TO PASS THIS SIM, YOU GET US THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, NOW!"

"I'm one step ahead of you, Nova," Nebula said. The ship swept to the side, rolling as it did. Nebula moved quickly, dodging each piece of the ship as it came towards them, until they were far enough away that they didn't have to worry about being hit. They took out the remaining ships with ease. The sim shut down.

Nova sighed before slamming her palm against the controls of the simulator. "If you pull that shit out there," she said, pointing away from them, "we're fucked. You will get our asses killed."

"I told you, something went wrong! The sim randomly creates problems with your ship sometimes, you know. Teams have to be ready for anything," Nebula said.

"I don't give a shit. It's your job to notice that shit before it nearly fries us."

"You should have taken the shot sooner."

"Don't you _dare_ tell me what to do again."

"We're a team, Nova. We have to act like it."

"I don't _have_ to do anything."

"Nova..."

Nova got out of the sim and started walking away. She could hear Nebula running to catch up with her. Damn, this girl really didn't know when to stop. She quickened her pace. Nebula was at least a foot shorter than Nova. She wouldn't be able to keep up for long without embarrassing herself, and Nebula seemed like the type to do anything to avoid that. Nova turned down the hall and started heading towards the observation deck. She hadn't been up there yet, and she figured maybe it would help her relax a little where the simulation hadn't. Nebula would probably give up before she got there.

Nebula soon caught up and jogged to stay beside Nova. She apologized several times for disappointing Nova in the sim and promised that, if Nova ever had to depend on her come time for the real thing, she wouldn't let her down again. Nova ignored every word of it. Instead, she just kept her pace up and hoped Nebula would get the hint eventually. Apparently, she did. Nova no longer heard the second set of footsteps once she reached the observation deck. She took a deep breath and leaned against the railing to look out at everything. There were a few people up there with her, but she could pretend she was alone. It felt nice being surrounded by the emptiness of space. The nearest _anything_ was millions of miles away. There was a comfort in that. As unsettling as it was if she lingered on it for too long, thinking of it in passing made her feel good. All of her mistakes and pain didn't mean anything to the vastness around her. She meant nothing to the universe, just as it meant nothing to her. She didn't know how long she stayed in that spot. By the time she pulled herself out of thought, she realized that she was exhausted. It had been a long day. She yawned and glanced around. The deck was completely empty now. How long had she been alone?

She stumbled back to her bunk, drunk off sleep-deprivation. She unlocked the door in a haze and stepped inside.

"Nova? Is that you?" Nebula asked groggily. She sat up and rubbed one eye, yawning.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What time is it?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"Go back to sleep, Nebula."

"Okay."

"Wait."

"Hnuh?"

"Scoot over."

"What?"

"Scoot over."

Nebula, still mostly asleep, did as she was told and pressed herself against the wall.

"Don't look at me, ok?" Nova said.

"Mkay."

Nova stripped out of her uniform and put on her pajamas -an old t-shirt and soft shorts- and slipped into Nebula's bunk.

"Come here," she said.

Nebula scooted closer to Nova.

"Closer."

Nebula rolled over and buried her face against Nova's neck. Nova wrapped an arm around her and yawned. She absent-mindedly rubbed her back until she drifted off, smiling at the feeling of Nebula's breath on her skin.

When she woke in the morning, Nebula was gone. She was glad for that. She only vaguely remembered coming back the night before, and she'd woken up in Nebula's bed. She didn't want to know all of the details that her memory left out. She stood up and found a note on the dresser across from her.

"Nova--

I don't know what last night was about, but I think we need to talk. We can do more training and get dinner afterwards. Meet me on the bridge at 1500 hours.

~Nebula."

"Shit," Nova whispered. She crumpled the paper and threw it into the wastebasket on the other side of the room. She put on her uniform and headed to the hangar, where she was assigned today. She was helping some of the techs make adjustments on the away ships, telling them if the changes were comfortable for the fighters. She couldn't focus, though. Her mind was everywhere. It kept wandering from Selene and what he'd been doing -which she was still curious about- to Abel and where to find him to her own navigator. Several times, the techs had to call her out of her thoughts to get back to work. Each time her excuse was poor sleep. She'd slept better last night than she had in who knew how long, strangely enough.

Eventually, the adjustments were made and there was little else for her to do. She made her way to the mess deck for a bit of lunch. She grabbed a tray, filled it up, and sat down at an empty table. The deck was pretty busy -busier than it had been at dinner yesterday- and the tables were quickly filling up. Soon enough, the opposite end of her own table was filling up.

She instinctively sat in a way that made her take up more space. The kids back home used to compare her to a porcupine when she did it. She thought it was just about the dumbest comparison that could be made, though she could see what they were trying to get off. Still, any sort of comment with even the slightest negative connotation pissed her off. She had scars on her knuckles from busting kids' asses on the streets for looking at her the wrong way. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, exposing the shaved sides underneath. She continued to eat and tried to shake off the thoughts of the colonies.

"Nova, right?" someone suddenly beside her asked.

"Depends who's asking," she answered with her mouth full, not looking up.

"I'm Abel!"

Nova nearly choked on her food.

" _The_ Abel?" she asked.

Abel laughed. "I guess so! Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"No! Not at all! Go ahead!" Nova motioned to the empty seat across from her. She glanced around and could see envious looks from fighters and navigators around the room.

Abel sat down. "How are you liking the Parallax?"

"It's about as good as any other Alliance ship I've been on."

Abel laughed. "I've been on worse."

"So I've heard! The ship that made you _famous_ man!"

"I don't know about famous."

"And he's modest, folks!"

Abel laughed again. His laugh was very genuine, the kind that everyone wanted to hear more of. "Are you getting along well with your navigator? I've heard a lot of good about Nebula!"

Nova cleared her throat and looked down at her tray, pushing around some of her food with her fork.

"That good, huh? Don't worry. Me and my fighter didn't get along very well at first, really."

"She seems like a nice kid, don't get me wrong. I'm just not the type to really get along with people." Nova shrugged.

Abel frowned a little. "You should probably work on that, Nova. You won't get very far in the Alliance if you don't. Very few people can get through promotions without working well with others."

"I hear Cain is one of the few that has managed to."

Abel smirked. "Cain is sort of a special case. You kind of remind me of him, actually. Selene said you remind him of Cain, too."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Abel frowned again.

"Should I not?" Nova asked.

There was a long moment of silence. "We're getting really close to the source of that signal."

"Are we?"

"Yep! Oh, there's your navigator!" Abel looked over Nova's shoulder. "Should I call her over?"

Nova shrugged again.

"Alright, then."

"Why are you sitting with me anyways? Half this room would kill for the chance to really talk to you like this."

"You're new to this crew. Most of us already know each other. I figured I should welcome you right, especially since you've already met two of my best friends."

"Helios and Selene?"

"Mhm."

"They seem nice, too, I guess."

"They're more than nice. They saved my life."

Nova started to ask more questions about what happened on that ship, and Abel told her as much as he'd told anyone. She found that, while she didn't have the patience for most people, she was happy to be around Abel, and not just for the ways she could potentially use his status in the Alliance. From what she heard, that seemed to be the case with most people. She heard how much of an asshole Cain was and even he had it bad for Abel. She looked over her shoulder and saw Nebula a few tables away, looking at them longingly.

She cleared her throat and returned to her conversation with Abel. Like she'd told her, she didn't give a shit about Nebula.

She couldn't.


	3. Breathe Out, Breathe In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a violent scene in this chapter. TW for violence and death.

Nova told Abel goodbye once he got a call to head up to the bridge. She pushed the food on her tray around absentmindedly. She was still as distracted as she had been all morning once Abel left. She tried to focus on something different. She found her mind drifting back to her life in the colonies again. Back there she hadn't been known as Nova -or any of the other task names she'd been given since enlisting. Her name was Madeleine. She'd always hated it. She told everyone she met to call her Maddie if anything, but most of them had their own nicknames for her. She appreciated that in a way. Her name reminded her of her parents and the last time she'd been really, honestly happy  
Nova was six when her parents were killed. She was outside with them. Her mother was sitting on the front porch of their trailer, her hands on top of her pregnant belly. Nova was running back and forth across the yard, chasing the baseballs her father kept throwing to her. The smell of her neighbors' fresh bread baking filled the air, mixing with the smell of freshly cut grass and summer flowers. Birds chirped in the trees and cicadas buzzed all around her. That night, she planned to catch fireflies with her mother after dinner. Her mother was making her favorite that night: a meaty stew that she could never remember how to pronounce and potatoes. Her stomach growled at the thought of it, but her parents kept reminding her that dinner came after playtime. Everything was fine. Perfect, as far as the young Nova was concerned.  
A rusty black car approached their trailer from up the street. Nova's father called her over and told her to stay close to him. It wasn't often that cars drove down this street, and Nova knew even then that it was never a good sign. The last time someone had driven a car past their trailer, she heard screams from down the road. A few weeks later, there were new people living on her street. There were gangs in the colonies; everyone knew that. Often, the younger and newer members had hazing periods to get through in order to become "official" members of these gangs. The most common task for these new recruits was murder.  
Nova's father must have known what was coming. He rushed Nova inside, but her parents didn't make it in time. She heard the shots from behind the front door. They sounded like thunder to her. She screamed.  
She spent a few years as a foster child with her sister. She had been a trouble child since her parents' death. Her sister would never know what that day had been like. When Nova was ten, she was placed into a different home than her sister. The four-year-old would barely remember Nova. Eventually, she would forget that she had a sister at all. Nova was shuffled through several more homes over the next few months. The night before she turned eleven, she ran away and found herself living on the streets. The system in the colonies didn't care about runaways. There were too many of them.  
"Nova, what's wrong?"  
She was brought out of her thoughts by one of the tech's voice.  
"It's nothing," she said. Her voice cracked, betraying her. She cleared her throat and stood quickly. She walked past the tech quickly, avoiding the rest of his questions. She glanced at the table Nebula had been sitting at earlier. She had left already. Nova checked the time on her way out of the dining hall. She had an hour and a half before Nebula wanted to meet with her. She could easily refuse to go. Nebula was probably expecting that. She didn't want to have to talk about what had happened the night before. It was a sleep-deprived mistake, as far as she was concerned. Still, she should probably tell Nebula that much.  
She finished her work in the hangar before she was dismissed for the day. She was relieved when the commander in the hangar told her to leave. Being stuck in her own head all day had been exhausting. She knew she would be late getting to the bridge to meet Nebula, but she could deal with it.  
When she got there, Nebula was focused on her work, typing away on a computer. Nova walked over and leaned against the desk.  
"Oh! You actually came up here. I can't talk right now. I've still got to finish this report and it's going to take me a while," Nebula said. Nova rolled her eyes.  
"Whatever. I just wanted to let you know that what happened last night was a mistake. It won't happen again," Nova said. Nebula frowned and nodded slightly. She turned back to her work silently. Nova nodded and left.

***

_Three weeks later_

Nova and Nebula had barely spoken since their second night on the Parallax. They talked when they were doing training or when Nova thought Nebula was getting in her way, but that was the extent of their conversations. Nebula had become close to Selene and Helios and Nova had spoken with Abel quite often. She had yet to meet Cain or Deimos, but that was alright with her. She maintained her refusal to make friends. She insisted she didn't need them. Abel told her that they had about a month left until they reached the signal according to their data. They had been further away from the signal than they had originally thought. Or, he told her in whispers on the observation deck, the signal was moving further away from them. Their mission was extended.

***

_One week later_

Nova woke up later than usual; she had a three-day weekend. She sat up, yawned, and stretched before climbing out of bed. She felt grimy and gross; she hadn't showered in three or four days. She took a sniff of her shirt. It needed to be washed too. She walked into the bathroom and stripped down, stepping into the shower. The hot water felt good on her skin and she took her time working the shampoo through her hair. She needed a haircut, too. She hummed to herself as she washed off and didn't hear the door open. She stepped out of the shower and, before she could grab her towel, Nebula turned around.  
A deep red blush rushed into her cheeks as she noticed her fighter.  
Nova stared at her for a moment in disbelief and, though she would deny it if you asked, her heart skipped a beat when she saw the very much still-asleep Nebula standing in the doorway.  
"Nebula, what the fuck?!" Nova shouted as she pulled a towel around herself.  
"Wh-- oh my God. I'm so sorry. I just woke up. I didn't know you were in here," Nebula said, turning around and moving to step out of the bathroom.  
"Just give me some warning next time, would you?"  
"I'm really sorry, Nova."  
There was a silence after Nebula closed the door. Nova looked over at the counter where she had, apparently, forgotten to put a change of clothes.  
"Uh, Nebula?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Could you uh. I forgot to grab some clothes."  
"Yeah, sure."  
The door opened enough for Nebula to stick her arm in and hand Nova her clothes. Nova reached to grab them and her fingers brushed Nebula's. She shook her head and snatched her clothes away. Once she was dressed, she stepped back into the bedroom. Nebula was sitting on top of their shared dresser, her face still red.  
"Thanks," Nova mumbled. Nebula nodded.  
"Are you off this weekend, too?" Nebula asked.  
"I'm not doing any sims, so don't ask."  
"No, no. I was just. One of Helios's friends smuggled some booze on the ship."  
"It's a bit early for drinking, don't you think?"  
"I didn't mean now. I meant--"  
"I'm kidding. Aren't you too much of a goody-goody for illegal drinking?"  
Nebula smiled a little. "There's a lot you really don't know about me, Nova."  
Nova nodded approvingly. "Sure. I don't see why not."  
"Awesome."  
"This doesn't make us friends."  
Nebula's smile faded. "I know."  
That night, Nova made her way to Helios and Selene's cabin. She was meeting them and Nebula there. Nebula was already outside. Her hair was down for once. It was longer than Nova thought. It framed her face well. She grinned when Nebula's eyes met hers. She didn't know why -she blamed Abel's influence- but she had noticed herself being a little friendlier to her navigator recently. She spoke to her more often and joined her for meals on occasion. She wouldn't consider Nebula her friend, though. She was just taking Abel's advice about getting along with others. She had gotten into trouble a few times for fights, despite this, but Nebula had been there each time to dispel the situation and stick up for Nova with her commanders. She was pissed off the first few times, insisting that she didn't need any help, but as the fights occurred more and more frequently, she came to appreciate it.  
"So, who all is going to be here?" Nova asked.  
"Besides us and these two?" Nebula said, motioning towards the door. "Just Helios's friend and his navigator."  
"Small party. I can deal with that."  
An hour later, Nova learned that Nebula was a lightweight. Nova had finished her third drink and was happily buzzed, but after Nebula's second, she was drunk. Nebula insisted on a fifth drink, but Nova refused to let her have it. Helios and Selene were eagerly playing drinking games with Nova and Helios's friends. Nebula eventually passed out in Nova's lap; Nova was sitting on the floor and Nebula had fallen asleep laying across her legs.  
"You should probably get her home," Selene said.  
"Yeah, probably. It's getting late anyways," Nova said.  
Nova said her goodbyes to everyone and woke Nebula up enough to help her walk home. It was a struggle and Nova was worried that they would be caught, but they were lucky enough that they got back to their bunk without incident. Nova helped Nebula into bed. She locked the door to their bunk and started to change into her pajamas when Nebula mumbled something to her.  
"What was that?" Nova asked, freezing with her shirt half-on.  
"Come here," Nebula said again, loud enough for Nova to hear this time.  
Nova finished putting on her shirt and sat on the edge of Nebula's bed.  
Nebula sat up and asked Nova to come closer. Nova hesitated but did as her navigator requested. Nebula put a hand on the side of Nova's face and kissed her, sloppily, the taste of alcohol on her lips. Nova's eyes widened in surprise, but closed a moment later as she kissed Nebula back. Her lips were soft. Nebula leaned into Nova, too drunk to hold herself up on her own. Nova realized this and pulled away.  
"Do you not want to?" Nebula slurred.  
"Nebula, you're drunk," Nova said.  
"So?"  
"Nebula, I'm not taking advantage of you like that."  
"So you don't want to?"  
Nova sighed. "No. I don't, Nebula."  
Nebula frowned. "Oh."  
"Go to sleep, ok?"  
Nebula nodded and promptly fell asleep. Nova stayed on the edge of her bed a moment longer, too dazed to move. She had never expected Nebula to do that, and she certainly never expected herself to kiss her back.

***

_One week later_

Nova and Nebula had gone back to barely speaking. Every moment between them had become awkward. Nova avoided Nebula as much as she could, going to bed after her and waking up before her, eating when she knew Nebula was too busy to get to the dining hall. That drunken kiss had been on her mind since it happened and she couldn't sort out how she felt about it. What Nebula had said about her not knowing very much about her had stuck in her head since she woke up the morning after. For whatever reason, Nova found herself wanting to know more about her navigator because of it. Maybe she should talk to Nebula about it.

She waited in their bunk after her assignment for the day until Nebula got back. The door opened and Nova jumped to her feet only to feel her heart drop to the floor and blush rise to her cheeks. Nebula was forcefully kissing another fighter as she pulled her into the bunk.  
"Nebula?" Nova said.  
Nebula pulled away from the other fighter quickly and looked over at Nova.  
"Nova! I- I didn't think you would be home so early...," Nebula said.  
"Yeah, I just. I'll leave. Sorry." Nova pushed past the pair and hurried to Abel and Cain's bunk.  
She pounded on the door, hoping Abel would be in, but found Cain instead.  
"What the fuck do you want?" he asked when he opened the door.  
"Where's Abel?" Nova demanded.  
"Not here. What do you want?"  
"I need to talk to him."  
"Wait. You're Nova, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"Come in. He'll be home soon. He wants to talk to you, too."  
This caught her off guard. "Did he say what about?"  
"Something about this signal. He said the two of you have been working together lately."  
"Yeah, I guess we have. Mostly he's just been talking about it when you're too busy."  
"He said you helped him work and a few of the other navigators work through some problems they were having."  
"I mean. I tried but I don't know how much help I was."  
"Well, apparently you were enough help that he needs more help, which doesn't happen often with him."  
"Oh."  
"Sit down. He'll be home soon."


End file.
